[Engine Room]
Bota checked off the last of the items on his data pad, and then returned it to its charging and storage rack along one wall. This had become his daily routine: A thirty-point check on the drive system, and it was now complete. No problems to report. Everything was purring like a kitten.
Working on the Lexington was quite a change from the Mercury. An older NV class, the Mercury was among the first of the Warp 2 ships commissioned by Star Fleet. Built during an era when warp drive was still an emerging technology. Things were always breaking down in her engine room, or falling out of calibration. Efforts were constantly being made to optimize her systems, to squeeze out a few more cochranes. The name 'Mercury' had been chosen in part because of its allusion to great speed. Ironically, time and technological advancements had consigned her to serve as one of the slowest ships in the Star Fleet. Once a few more NX-Class vessels were built, they would probably mothball her, or maybe sell her into civilian service.
Sometimes he felt guilty for leaving the Mercury behind, with all its struggles and problems. But then he laid eyes on this jewel of modern engineering, and all of his guilt vanished.
Reaching out, he laid his right hand on the side of the core, his palm atop its copper-colored shell. A gentle thrumming could be felt through the housing. Inside, a storm of superpowered plasma was roiling, created by the mutual annhilation of matter and antimatter. It was a domain of the Gods, harnessed by mere mortals. The Warp 5 engine would doubtless stand as the greatest technological achievement of his generation.
And it was his to maintain.
Well, his... and everyone else in Engineering. Not the least of whom was his boss, Commander Renehan. She was the Chief Engineering officer on the Lexington. He envied her the position. She was much younger than he was, and had far fewer scholarly credentials under her belt. He never would have requested this assignment under normal conditions, knowing that someone younger and less qualified would be his superior. Only the Warp 5 engine had motivated him to overlook his ego and take the post when it was offered to him.
However, in his short time here, he had begun to appreciate why she held her lofty rank and position as head of the Engineering department. While Bota had obtained a highly specialized and rarified education in warp systems on Earth, Renehan was a spacer, an accomplished jack-of-all-trades with a lifelong experience repairing and modifying ship systems. Through sheer force of will, she had leapfrogged from Enlisted to Officer ranks, crushing all engineering challenges under her boots. And she had a keen understanding of how to manage her department as well as its machines.
In short, she was better than he was.
It was a humbling thing, and not good for his ego, but it was the truth.
Well, he would just have to learn what he could from her. Follow her example. And then one day, an engine room just like this one might be his to command.
(open tag for anyone who might come along)
